Chapter 21
The silence between them was deafening. Shin Jiao could feel Cherry Lao wanted to tell him something, but she just looked at him, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. He knew this had something to do with him, but he couldn't understand why.
Her heart ached. She truly wanted to tell him why she couldn't progress in her cultivation so they could find a solution together. But saying it so bluntly felt too cruel. She decided to keep it to herself, and her heart became heavy.
"Hey, are you okay?" Shin Jiao asked, worry etched in his eyes.
Cherry Lao said nothing, just looking him in the eye. Time seemed to flow slowly as their gazes remained locked. Then, like a cascade of unsaid words, a feeling of understanding passed between them. Shin Jiao moved closer. For the first time, he gently held her face and leaned in, entranced by the sweet scent of her breath. As their faces drew closer, Cherry Lao's heartbeat quickened, her body felt hot, and her knees went soft. But when their lips met, everything else went black. Their worries disappeared, and all that existed was each other. It was as if they were the only two people in the world.
Shin Jiao couldn't control himself, deepening the kiss. His hands began to roam freely, but when he gently caressed one of her soft mounds, it was like an electric shock jolted Cherry Lao back to her senses. She immediately pushed him away, her face as red as a tomato, and covered it with her hands, not wanting him to see her.
"Pervert, Shin Jiao!"
"Sorry, I lost control," Shin Jiao said, looking a bit guilty. He could still remember the soft, wet sensation of her lips and the softness he had felt in his hands. This made him unconsciously dazed, smiling like a fool.
When she didn't hear him speak, she glanced at his face. Cherry Lao felt a warmth in her heart, seeing her man so engrossed in his thoughts, clearly enjoying what had just happened. She felt both shy and happy, but a firm determination flashed in her eyes. She had experienced being loved and loving someone, and she couldn't ask for more. She wanted to free herself from this mortal worry and connection and cultivate without distraction. She knew it would be cruel to him, but she also knew he would understand and keep their memories in his heart.
As dawn broke, with Shin Jiao still sleeping, Cherry Lao silently got up. She left a jade slip and a silver flowered hair ornament on a stone table. A single tear fell down her cheek as she looked at the man sleeping soundly. Afraid she would hesitate if she looked at him any longer, she steeled her heart and quickly walked out of the cave.
A silent tear fell from Shin Jiao's eyes after her figure was gone. He had a feeling this would happen when he saw the look of determination in her eyes last night. He thought he was prepared, but when she truly left, his heart ached so badly he felt he might die. He had spent so much time with Cherry Lao, going through life-and-death challenges together. He wanted to hold her back, but he knew it wasn't right. He wanted to say he would do anything to keep her by his side, but he knew he would only hold her back from her dreams and aspirations. He didn't want to get in her way.
He now understood why her cultivation had been stagnant for so long. He felt a little guilty, but now he had to set her free. Even though it caused him pain, he had to endure. He would improve himself, achieve immortality, and take her back.
With this new determination, Shin Jiao was fired up. He would do all he could to be a worthy partner for his woman. He quickly stood up and took the jade slip. When he saw the hair ornament, his mind went blank as memories of Cherry Lao's face and figure flashed through his mind. Subconsciously, he placed the jade slip on his forehead and saw the message she had left. His face turned sad, the hurt evident in his eyes.
"Shin, I've enjoyed our time together. It was the best time of my life. From the moment I started cultivating, my life has been full of sadness and misery. I almost forgot that there were still genuinely kind and good people in this world, and I found one in you. My only regret is that we cannot be together, as our paths are not meant to be. I know this may sound like I used you to satisfy a heart that longs for love and affection, which I had forgotten. You showed me what that feels like again, and I thank you for that. I miss my family; I never once tried to contact them after I entered my sect. My parents, my dear brother... Maybe that's why I feel something familiar with you." Cherry Lao's voice became a little sad.
"I know this is unfair to you, but I hope you will respect my decision. My Dao Heart was shaken because of you... and yet I was happy... I love you, Shin. But please forget about me and move on with your life. Don't try to find me because it would hurt me more..."
Shin Jiao was truly hurt. He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His mind was a mess, faced with a choice that would hurt him no matter what. If he tried to find her, he knew it would affect her Dao Heart, and her cultivation would become stagnant. He couldn't afford to do that. But if he let her go, his heart would still be torn apart. This dilemma left Shin Jiao drunk in sadness for a couple of days.
After some time, though his hair and clothes were unkempt, he made a firm decision. He would improve himself and become stronger—strong enough to protect his own, even his heart. He decided it was time to move on, just as she had said. He needed to live his life once more. He stood up and realized he smelled terrible.
"How long has it been since I took a bath? Geez, I should really stop this now," Shin Jiao said as he took off his clothes and bathed.
After putting on a new set of clothing, he sat down, crossed his legs, and concentrated. His goal was to fix the energy in his dantian, no matter what. He needed to regain his cultivation to create new things once more.
As he started trying to find a way to fix his dantian, his mind was diverted, and the heartache he felt became less and less. Inside his dantian, the chaotic combination of energies was still unsettled, like a great storm with all the different elements trying to dominate. The chaotic colors made Shin Jiao dizzy as he looked at the churning and rolling hues. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find a way to combine them as he had before. When he tried to form a sphere, it would be overwhelmed by the large amount of energy and fail.
Days passed with no progress. No matter what he did, he couldn't form a sphere. With a sad expression, he decided to give up, but then the image of Cherry Lao appeared in his mind. His heart ached once more. He held his chest and felt his heart throbbing.
"Wait a minute! Heart!? Throbbing?!... Throbbing heart! That's it!" Shin Jiao suddenly felt a surge of enlightenment. He thought of the heart and how a person is alive because of the energy it supplies. He then thought of his dantian as a living being, an organism that contains power like no other. He began to think of ways to create a "dantian heart," or his very own Cultivation Heart.
Fifteen Days Later
The night sky loomed over the Daemon Forest, where creatures of every kind started their hunts. Most cultivators wouldn't dare to hunt at night, as it was far more dangerous and put humans at a disadvantage. But many still dared, often at the cost of their lives.
The shadow of a young man, running aimlessly through the darkness, dashed through the forest. Behind him was a pack of large Night Wolves. His clothes were tattered, and wounds covered his body. His group of five had all been killed in a surprise ambush.
As the young man ran madly, panting hard, his sweat mixed with the blood on his body. The sweat dripped into his eyes, making it hard to see the path.
"Damn... I knew this would happen. I told them this would happen... Shit! Shit! Shit!" he cursed, his feet sometimes hitting roots, almost making him stumble.
Due to his nervousness and inexperience, he had forgotten he was a cultivator. Everything he had learned in his clan was forgotten; all he could think about was running for his life. But fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on him, as he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right leg. This made him stumble and fall, tumbling and rolling away.
When he finally came to a stop, he was surrounded by Night Wolves. They bared their fangs and ugly faces, a pool of saliva dripping from their wide mouths.
"This... this is it? Is this the end? My goal is to become an immortal... I can't accept this!" the young man murmured, his back resting against a stone wall. He tried hard not to cry. As a young cultivator with so much hope, he was not resigned to this fate. He wanted to fight, but he had thrown his weapons away when he was frantically escaping. He looked at his fists and clenched them hard.
"By my bare hands, I will forge my Dao," he said, his voice resolute, prepared to fight the wolves to the death. As he found his courage through hopelessness, he remembered the knowledge he had gained from years of bitter cultivation.
He stood up and moved into a fighting position, looking like an Earth boxer, firm yet agile. The wolves growled in annoyance, then, as if with a tacit understanding, they all rushed forward at once.
"This isn't fair!" the young man suddenly shouted. "I thought they'd go one-on-one. Damn it!"
Although he felt hopeless, he bravely faced them and quickly attacked the nearest wolf. With a punch, he hit the wolf directly in the head, making it tumble to the ground. Then, seeing another one nearby, which quickly bit his arm, he shifted to the left and landed next to the wolf's body. Seeing his opportunity, the young man quickly bombarded the wolf's body with a combo of punches, and the sound of breaking bones could be heard.
He became happy and smiled, seeing that his attacks were very effective. But before he could celebrate, a wolf's jaw locked onto his right calf. With a forced pull, the wolf dragged him to the ground while the other wolves rushed in for the kill.
"Arrgghh... Shit! I guess this is it..." the young man said to himself, slowly closing his eyes.
A few minutes passed, and he felt something was wrong. He didn't feel the pain of being torn apart. Then, his heart almost stopped as he felt a truly heavy aura rising from behind him, like a mountain crushing and suffocating him. Even the Night Wolves were on the ground whimpering, affected by the aura. The same aura became visible as it rose and pierced the sky. The young man's vision slowly dimmed as he could not resist it any longer. The energy wave quickly spread outward like an invisible tsunami, sweeping through its surroundings and causing every beast to fall to the ground, unable to lift its head.
Meanwhile
Deep in the middle of the Daemon Forest stood a large mountain. It was majestic, yet filled with gloom and a dangerous aura that permeated its borders. Deep inside the mountain, a gigantic beast had been sleeping for who knows how long. But at this time, it lazily opened its eyes, cranked its massive head, and looked toward the south. After a while, a glimmer of interest shone in its eyes, and it went back to sleep.
The Xi Empire
The Xi Empire, the largest and most powerful empire in the cultivation land, had an imperial castle that stood tall and grand for all to see. It was where most of the strongest cultivators stayed, as the spiritual Qi there was incredibly dense.
Inside the main palace, in a secret room deep within the castle, sat an old man who looked like a bag of bones. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and a smile appeared on his old face. If the emperor of the Xi Empire could see this, he would hold a grand celebration for a whole month.
This unnatural event was felt by almost all of the most powerful beings in the land. Even in the land of Beastia, old, hidden monsters felt the strong aura. But instead of happiness, they felt threatened and alarmed, as the aura clearly belonged to a human.